The Lawyers' Committee and the Community Development Clinic Partner for New Legal Initiative

The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law's Community Development Project (CDP) kicked off a new initiative in January to
partner with community development clinics at local law schools. The
inaugural effort in collaboration with the University of the District of
Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law affords law students the
opportunity to assist in meaningful work while gaining real-world
experience. CDP staff and UDC clinical law professors Louise Howells and
Laurie Morin are jointly supervising four clinical students on various
CDP matters.

Prof. Laurie Morin

Prof. Louise Howells

Two of the students, Eva Seidelman and Debbie
Aston, are assisting two of CDP’s newest clients. Providence Community
Housing is an affordable housing developer in New Orleans and is in the
midst of redeveloping the Lafitte public housing development, one of the
"Big Four” public housing projects demolished in the wake of Hurricane
Katrina. As part of this effort, Providence, with the assistance of CDP
and the clinical students, is working with residents to form a tenants’
association and a homeowners’ association.

These students are also assisting the Rose
Community Development Corporation (CDC) with applying for tax-exempt,
501(c)(3) status. Rose CDC is redeveloping a site in the Tremé
neighborhood that will include a charter school, space for artists and
cultural entrepreneurs, and a community development financial
institution.

Two other students, Emily Citkowski and Stephon
Patterson, are assisting another new client, the Broadmoor Development
Corporation (BDC), which is working to revitalize the Broadmoor
neighborhood in New Orleans, on matters related to board governance.
They are also working with long-time CDP client North Gulfport Community
Land Trust (CLT) in Mississippi on developing an affordable housing
finance and development plan on a number of parcels of land that it
currently owns.